How can one house-break a puppy?
It’s the fact that, by nature, dogs are very clean animals. However, by bringing them into a home, their freedom of movement becomes limited. Thus just they need your help to remain clean. Toilet training or house-breaking is not that difficult a job as it appears to be. Though it can be started at whatever age the pup is when you bring him home, it must be remembered that the younger the pup is, the more careful we must be about house-breaking, as younger pups have a more frequent need to eliminate urine and stools. They have to be provided relief more often. Thus the progress amongst younger pups is comparatively slower as compared to their older counterparts. House-breaking does not take a long time. It can be successfully taught within about 1 to 3 weeks, provided you follow a regular, fixed schedule everyday, without a break. It is important to be utterly consistent. House-breaking requires patience and a control on your temper, no matter how irritated you feel sometimes. Gentle but firm handling is the answer.
Some veterinarians feel that the use of newspapers is the best method for house-breaking. They recommend that newspapers be kept on one side of the puppy’s box as already mentioned. This is important as a young puppy cannot be expected to exercise self-control veterinarians feel that the use of newspapers is the best method for house-breaking. They recommend that newspapers be kept on one side of the puppy’s box as already mentioned. This is important as a young puppy cannot be expected to exercise self-control veterinarians feel that the use of newspapers is the best method for house-breaking. They recommend that newspapers be kept on one side of the puppy’s box as already mentioned. This is important as a young puppy cannot be expected to exercise self-control veterinarians feel that the use of newspapers is the best method for house-breaking. They recommend that newspapers be kept on one side of the puppy’s box as already mentioned. This is important as a young puppy cannot be expected to exercise self-control during the entire night. It is further recommended that several layers of newspapers be kept on the floor near the puppy’s box, and the puppy placed on them immediately after feeding, as soon as he wakes up, whenever he starts to whimper, sniffs the floor or runs in small circles. Praise the puppy when he uses the paper and scold him by saying NO firmly if he relieves himself anywhere else. When soiled newspapers near the box are removed, leave a small damp piece so that its smell will draw the puppy back there the next time.
With the possible exception of puppies of toy breeds, or if outdoor-training is not possible in the beginning due to apartment living, illness or other reasons, you can begin outdoor-training either immediately or while you are paper-training your puppy. If you do not want your sleep disturbed, you can train the puppy to go outdoors during the day and use paper at night. Take the puppy out the very first thing in the morning to the area you want him to use, and let him sniff around. Stay close by. The moment your puppy relieves himself, praise him liberally and bring him back inside. If it is raining or cold outside, many people do not take the puppy out, for fear it may catch cold. This does not generally hold true. By the time a puppy is weaned, he has enough fur which can protect him from catching cold in the short time that he is out to relieve himself. It has been observed that in such circumstances, puppies finish their job quickly to get back into the house.
You may have to take the puppy outside quiet a frequently for the first few days. After taking him out the very first thing in the morning, take him out every two hours, especially after a meal or a drink of water or milk. Afterwards, the moment the puppy sniffs, appears restless or goes around in circles, he will have to be rushed outside immediately. There is no short cut to these inconveniences that you will have to undergo frequently for the first few days, but once the puppy adapts to the routine, you will have to take the puppy out only four or five times during the whole day.
In general, especially till the dog is house-trained, the food should be kept for about 15 minutes only. Uneaten food should be removed immediately thereafter. The puppy should get the next meal at he fixed time. Most dogs relieve themselves soon after eating and drinking. If the food keeps lying before the puppy, it causes over-frequent elimination and digestive upsets, which interfere with the house-breaking process.
While house-breaking a puppy, do not allow it to run about just anywhere in the whole house. If you do that, you will find the puppy passing urine and/or stools anywhere. Keep him confined to a small area where he can be watched. This will festinate the process of training. If the puppy makes a mistake at a wrong place, wash the area preferably with warm water, followed by a little water-diluted vinegar. This will definitely remove the odour. Since the puppy’s sense of smell is very strong, any lingering odour of urine is likely to make him want to use that spot again. Washing the area with warm water and diluted vinegar will discourage the puppy from using that area again.